Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain, which accounts for approximately 15% of all foot-related complaints. This condition occurs in a wide variety of individuals. Commonly, age at onset is in the mid-40's, but plantar fasciitis can develop at any age, especially with athletes. Many studies have shown a female-male predominance of 3:1. 65% of patients exhibiting plantar fasciitis are overweight. Approximately 22% of all patients with plantar fasciitis have moderate pronation; about 15% have high-arched, ridge foot; and the remainder have an anatomically normal or non-affected foot. Only 45% of the patients who undergo radiography for suspected plantar fasciitis are found to have a subcalcaneal or “bone” spur.
Evidence of the need for affective therapy is apparent when it is considered that over 95% of all heel pain is diagnosed as plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is best described as an inflammation of the ligament that runs from the heel to the ball of the foot, which helps support the arch. Patients with plantar fasciitis will experience pain, upon standing, on the bottom or inside of their heel. Typically, the pain is worse in the morning when getting out of bed and after resting when standing up.
Typically the primary anatomic cause of plantar fasciitis is some degree of microtrauma and tearing at the site of the Plantar Fascia insertion. These abnormalities, which may also be present at the origin of the Plantar Fascia, result from repetitive trauma and collagen degeneration and angiofibroblastic hyperplasia. Upon physical examination the range of motion of the affected ankle is less than that of the contralateral ankle. By pressing the thumb against the middle of the affected heel, the physician can delineate the area of the Plantar Facial pain. Pressure similarly applied underneath the calcaneus reveals the area of subcalcaneal pain. The correlation between plantar fasciitis and subcalcaneal spurs is not significant, therefore radiographic findings are not specific. Conservative treatment, including night splints results in relief of plantar fasciitis in 85% of patients. In 15% of patients in whom this approach fails, surgery is indicated.
One medical method known in the art in reducing Plantar Fascial pain is to stretch the Plantar Fascia for a period of time. By keeping the Plantar Fascia on stretch, it is believed that an ultimate reduction of the internal tension of the Plantar Fascia can be achieved. Through this treatment, it is believed that the pain associated with this medical condition can be reduced, and possibly eliminated.
A typical treatment program for plantar fasciitis, depending on its severity includes taping, orthotic foot sleeves, even night splints for example of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,742 commonly and commonly assigned. All of the above have some advantages and some disadvantages.
It is no secret that perhaps one of the more effective treatments is taping but taping is of course inconvenient. First it must be renewed if not daily at least very frequently. Secondly it presents the extreme inconvenience to have to constantly tape and untape. Third, its effectiveness depends upon the skill level of the taping person.
Boots have the disadvantage of cumbersome and expense. Sleeves have a disadvantage of lack of targeted compression. As used herein “targeted compression” means compression at the specific points which would do the most good for plantar fasciitis, as opposed to overall general compression of the foot.
Accordingly it would be advantageous to provide the convenience of a sleeve with the advantages of targeted compression in the arch and heel area where compression treatment is most affective for plantar fasciitis.
This invention has as a primary objective to provide the convenience of a compression sleeve and the targeted effectiveness of enhancement of compression in the areas where it is most needed to affectively treat plantar fasciitis, namely in the arch and above the heel.
The method and manner of achieving this primary objective as well as other advantages of the invention is discussed hereinafter.